Etihad Airways to develop cargo services from Parma Airport

Etihad Airways and Parma Airport have signed an agreement to develop cargo traffic at the airport of the central Italian city.

The
exclusive agreement initially includes the establishment of a cargo transit
centre at Parma Airport to receive cargo for forwarding to Milan Malpensa Airport
for onward transport. The project will be developed in conjunction with Etihad Cargo
and partner airlines, providing an efficient solution to companies in the
region for the rapid delivery of their products to global markets.

Etihad Airways with its equity
partner, Alitalia, currently offers bellyhold capacity on 38 weekly flights
between Italy and the UAE. In addition there are six weekly freighter services
from Milan, including a twice weekly service to Bogotá and the four times a
week service to Abu Dhabi, which offer a combined capacity of 800 tonnes.

David
Kerr, Vice President of Etihad Cargo, said: "This
agreement with Parma Airport is a further demonstration of our confidence in
Italy, one of the largest cargo markets in Europe. We have already strengthened
our freighter capacity out of Milan in the last few weeks, having placed a new 777
freighter on the Milan-Bogotá sector, so the opportunity to use Parma gives us
a further chance to strengthen our cargo services from Europe.”

Parma
is at the centre of one of the largest exporting regions in Italy for high
value goods. These freight items require fast and secure transport, which are all
factors that determine the demand for air freight services.

Guido
Dalla Rosa Prati, Chairman of Parma Airport, said: "With the co-operation of Etihad Airways, the strategic
development plan for the airport is already coming to life. We are really honoured to have gained the
interest of Etihad Airways, a key player in the world of aviation, and I am
proud of the agreement which will generate new business opportunities for Parma
and neighbouring territories.”

Work
has already begun to adapt the airport infrastructure for the new service to be
operational from July 2016. Cargo and logistics will play a central role in the
ongoing development plan for Giuseppe Verdi Airport.

Alberto
Figna, Chairman of the Parma Industrialist’s Union (UPI), one of the key shareholders
in the airport, said: “The agreement with
an international partner of the calibre of Etihad Airways is confirmation of
the potential of this airport and an important indication of the commitment of
the Parma business community to ensuring the continuity and progress of a vital
piece of infrastructure that will benefit the local economy. It is expected
that the new transit centre will also have a positive direct and indirect
impact on employment in the local area.”

Etihad
Cargo is a division of Etihad Airways with a dedicated fleet of 11 freighters
and an additional freighter to be added during 2016. At the end of February,
the team welcomed a new Boeing 777 to its fleet and the aircraft has recently
started operations on the Milan- Bogotá
route providing improved services between Europe and South America.

Over the previous
year, Etihad Cargo grew its services global reach by offering bellyhold
capacity on Etihad Airways’ six new passenger destinations to destinations
including Edinburgh and Madrid, bringing to over 100 the total number of
passenger destinations on which cargo services are currently provided. Etihad
Cargo also expanded its freighter services to several new markets including
Dakar, Nouakchott and Douala, bringing the number of freighter-only
destinations operated to 20.